Footwear wrap assembly

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of methods in accordance with the present invention provide a wrap assembly that removably attaches to footwear of a person comprising a strap that is capable of supporting various complementary removable/attachable accessories that to the footwear.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a non-provisional application of provisionalapplication 60/538,758, entitled “Tactical Boot Sleeve”, filed on Jan.26, 2004. The present application claims priority to said provisionalapplication, and incorporates its specifications by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a footwear wrap assembly and, moreparticularly, to footwear wrap assemblies adapted to removably attach toa user's footwear and are capable of supporting various removablyattachable devices.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Various holster systems exist that allow a wearer to carry an item aboutthe lower portion of their leg or near the ankle. However, these varioussystems are generally limited to holsters that are fixedly integrated tothe system (thereby limiting the equipment or device to a specificarticle of manufacture). Additionally, the systems lack the capabilityof supporting more than one holster at a time.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCED NUMERALS

Similar reference numerals in the drawings denote similar elementsthroughout the several views; the figures in each of the viewsillustrate various embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a footwear wrap assembly inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of a clip for a footwear wrapassembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a footwear having a footwearwrap assembly with accessories in accordance with various embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective plan view of a footwear wrap assemblyin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates a partial plan view of a footwear wrap assembly inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3C illustrates a partial perspective view of a footwear wrapassembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3D illustrates a plan view of an attachment anchor for the footwearwrap assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view of a footwear wrap assembly with anaccessory in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of a footwear wrap assembly withaccessories in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view of a footwear wrap assembly with aflexible portion and accessories in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a plan view of a footwear wrap assembly withaccessories in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate plan views of a footwear wrap assembly withcamouflage in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate perspective views of footwear having a footwearwrap assembly with and without accessories in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exploded view of a boot armor accessory inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a footwear wrap assembly withthe boot armor accessory in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, anattachable and detachable footwear wrap assembly having a strap suitablefor use in supporting various accessories, such as equipment, devices,and/or receptacles adapted to hold such equipment and device, that maybe removably coupled to the wrap assembly at least in part by the strap.

Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described usingterms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention maybe practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes ofexplanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrativeembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Inother instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in ordernot to obscure the illustrative embodiments.

The phrase “in one embodiment” is used repeatedly. The phrase generallydoes not refer to the same embodiment; however, it may.

The terms “comprising”, “having” and “including” are synonymous, unlessthe context dictates otherwise.

The terms, “footwear”, “shoe”, and “boot” if employed are synonymous,unless the context dictates otherwise.

The terms, “foot wrap assembly”, “tactical boot sleeve”, and “bootsleeve” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise.

The terms, “boot armor” and “Kevlar Bootie” are synonymous, unless thecontext dictates otherwise.

The terms “strap encasement” and “sleeve loop casing” are synonymous,unless the context dictates otherwise.

The terms “strap” and “adjustable sleeve-loop” are synonymous unless thecontext dictates otherwise.

The terms “Boot armor secondary securing member” and “cinch” aresynonymous unless the context dictates otherwise.

The terms “adjustable loop assembly” and “attachment anchor” aresynonymous unless the context dictates otherwise.

The terms “wrap” and “foundation strap” are synonymous unless thecontext dictates otherwise.

The terms “anchor loop” and “sleeve loop” are synonymous unless thecontext dictates otherwise.

FIGS. 1A, and 3-8B illustrate various perspective and plan views of thefootwear assembly, in accordance with various embodiments of the methodsof the present invention. As will be described in more detail below, forall embodiments, a footwear wrap assembly 100 may be adapted to allowthe removable engagement/attachment of a portion of one or moreaccessories 34, and provide at least a portion of the support for thoseaccessories 34, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 9-11 and 13, on a suitablefootwear/boot 46. Assembly 100 may generally include a wrap 2 which hasa strap 12 coupled thereto. The wrap 2 may be configured to at leastpartially encircles a user's leg/ankle (not shown) on the outside of theboot 46. Wrap 2 may be configured to removably secure to the boot 46. Inone embodiment, wrap 2 may be secured to the boot 46 by interlacing wrapassembly eyelets 8 with the boot laces 48.

The strap 12 may be coupled to the wrap 2, and adapted to allow for thepartial support, and removable attachment of, the accessories 34. Theaccessories 34 may be complementarily adapted for attachment to thestrap 12 by the employment of an attachment means, including, but notlimited to a strap encasement, belt loop, clip, complementary snaps,and/or a hook and loop fastener (such as Velcro®). Strap 12 may be sizedof a sufficient width and thickness to provide support for theaccessories 34 with respect to wrap 2. In various embodiments theaccessories 34 can be a holster, a flashlight retainer, ammunition clipretainer, handcuff retainer, a knife sheath, a magnet, and/or a utilitypocket. However, this list is not exhaustive and virtually anything thatcan be attached to the strap 12 can be an accessory 34.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate one embodiment of footwear wrap assembly 100.Footwear wrap assembly 100 may have a first end 4 and a second end 6,each with eyelets 8 disposed therein such that footwear lacing 48 (shownin FIG. 2) may engage the eyelets and secure the wrap around the user'sleg/ankle. While two eyelets 8 are shown disposed in each end 4 and 6,one or more wrap assembly eyelets 8 per end 4 and 6 may be employed.

In addition to the eyelets 8 supporting and securing the footwear wrapassembly 100 to the footwear 46 optionally one or more clip 5 may beused to couple the wrap 2 to a cuff 50 of the foot wear 46 (shown inFIG. 2). One or more clip 5 can be attached at any position along thelength of the wrap 2 and be configured to provide additional support tothe wrap 2, and thus may allow for more and/or heavier accessories 34 tobe used (see FIG. 2). Clip 5 can be removably coupled to the wrap 2using a variety of suitable detachable fasteners 3, such as a hook andloop. In alternate embodiments the clip 5 may also be secured to thewrap 2 in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, buttons,snaps, stitching and the like. Further, attachment to the cuff 50 may beaccomplished using other suitable attachment mechanisms as well, such asa complementary snap fastener between the cuff 50 of the boot 46 and thefootwear wrap assembly 100.

Strap 12 may have a strap first end 14 that may be adapted to removablycouple to the wrap 2 at or near the first end 4, and a strap second end16 can be fixedly attached to the wrap 2. Strap first end 14 may bedetachably coupled using any number of suitable fasteners 7. Examples ofsuitable detachable fasteners include hook and loop fastener, button andbuttonhole, snap, zipper, and the like. In other embodiments, strapsecond end 16 may also be detachably coupled to the wrap assembly 2 nearsecond end 6. Further, strap 12 may be adapted to allow the one or moreaccessories 34 to be adjusted relative to the footwear, which mayfacilitate comfort and/or convenience of the user (not shown) wearingthe footwear 46. The accessories 34 may slide along the strap 12 therebyadjusting the position of the accessory 34 for the comfort of the user.

FIG. 2 illustrates the embodiments represented by FIGS. 1A and 3A withvarious removable accessories 34 attached to the strap 12 while the wrapis interlaced with boot 46. FIG. 11 shows an embodiment were theaccessory 34 comprises a magnet. The magnet can be used to securevarious tools (not shown) for the user.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrates a footwear wrap assembly 100 in accordance withthe present invention, wherein footwear wrap 100 may include a wrapattachment anchor 9. The attachment anchor 9 may allow a user to readilyadapt the length of the footwear wrap assembly 100 to accommodatefootwear 46 of differing circumferences, sizes, and/or shapes. Theattachment anchor 9 may comprise loop 11 and anchor loop fastener 17with eyelets 8. The attachment anchor 9 may be coupled to the footwear46 using complementary eyelets 8 to interlace with the footwear laces48. The embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 3A may optionally include clip5, as described above. As noted for FIG. 1A, the number of wrap assemblyeyelets 8 may vary. In an alternate embodiment, the wrap 2 may bemanufactured to complementary engage an attachment anchor 9 at the wrapfirst end 4 and the wrap second end 6. This could enable and facilitatequick and complete detachment of the footwear wrap assembly 100 from thefootwear 46.

The strap 12 may have a strap first side 27 and a strap second side 29.Strap first end 14 may be adapted to detachably fasten strap second side29 to wrap 2 using a suitable detachable fastener 7, such as a hook andloop fastener like Velcro ®. Similarly, the wrap 2 may have a wrap firstside 13 and a wrap second side 15. Wrap assembly first end 4 may bethreaded through anchor hoop 11, and adapted to detachably fasten towrap assembly second side 15 using a variety of suitable detachablefasteners 7, such as a hook and loop fastener like Velcro®. By adaptingthe fastening of wrap assembly first end 4 to the wrap second side 15 insuch a manner, the wrap assembly first end 4 and the strap 12 may resistde-coupling. The de-coupling can be resisted by the wrap assembly firstend 4, strap first end 14 and the wrap second side 15 pressing togetheragainst (not shown) boot 46, thereby adding compressive engagement as anadditional securing mechanism. In one embodiment various portions of thewrap assembly 100 may be fabricated from elastic materials to allow forexpansion and contraction of the wrap assembly complementary to thefootwear 46. For example, anchor loop fastener 17 can be made from anelastic material to provide some complementary movement of the wrapassembly 100 for the comfort of the user as the foot flexes.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of footwear wrap assembly 100 where thewrap 2 is configured to overlay a larger area of the footwear 46, whichmay provide for greater support. Five wrap assembly eyelets 8 may beemployed for each of the wrap assembly ends 4 and 6, thereby providinggreater stability and support to footwear wrap assembly 100. Strap firstend 14 may be permanently secured to the wrap 2 and strap second end 16may be detachably coupled to the strap 12 through the use of detachablefastener 28. This detachable fastener 28 may be either fixedly ordetachably coupled to the strap end 16 and/or the wrap 2.

As discussed for an embodiment above, the number of eyelets 8 may varydepending on the footwear 46 size and configuration, as well as theamount of support needed for the accessories 34. Further, in someembodiments, there is no need for the wrap 2 to have eyelet 8 attachmentmeans that extend much past the transition point on a boot 46 fromsubstantially vertically positioned eyelets 8 to more horizontallypositioned eyelets 8. Further, the configuration of the wrap 2 may betailored to conform to the contours of the footwear 46 as well as theuser's leg/ankle, in order to enhance comfort, stability and support.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of footwear wrap assembly 100 wherestrap 12 can be divided into a first portion 24 and a second portion 26.The strap first end 14 and the strap second end 16 may be permanentlyattached to wrap 2. Additionally, the first portion 24 and secondportion 26 may have a strap third end 18 and strap fourth end 20respectively. Strap third and fourth ends 18 and 20 may be detachablycoupled together using a detachable fastener 28. By dividing the strap12 into the two portions, 24 and 26, multiple accessories 34 on portion26 can be removed or added without the removal of accessories 34 onportion 24.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment in accordance with the presentinvention, where wrap 2 can be fabricated at least in part from anelastic material 10 to enable the wrap 2 to complementarily expand orcontract to accommodate differing sizes of the footwear 46, as well asallow for a certain degree of flex of the footwear. In one embodiment,strap first ends 14 can be attached to a portion the wrap 2 that doesnot include the elastic material 10. Strap second ends 16 may bedetachably coupled to the wrap 2 through strap eyelets 32 that arecomplementarily aligned with corresponding wrap assembly eyelets 8. Inother embodiments, other detachable fasteners previously mentioned maybe used to secure the strap second ends 16 to the wrap 2. In someembodiments, two separate straps 12 can be used to facilitate additionalaccessory 34 carrying capacity of the footwear wrap assembly 100;however, in alternate embodiments the wrap 2 may only have one strap 12.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment where only one strap 12 is used. Thestrap first end 14 and second end 16 can be detachably coupled to thewrap 2 by interlacing with the laces 48 of footwear 46 as illustrated inFIGS. 9 and 10. Attachment of strap 12 to the wrap 2 can be at a pointbetween the strap first and second ends, 14 and 16 respectively. Thisenables additional support for the attachment of two or more accessories34 to the footwear wrap assembly 100.

Additionally in some embodiments, a secondary securing member 52 can beused to detachably couple the wrap 2 to one or more accessories 34 at alocation away from the strap 2. Because certain accessories 34 may belarger in size (e.g. holster, flashlight holder, etc.), there may be atendency for a portion of the accessory 34 to move relative to thefootwear 46 at areas not secured by the strap 12. This secondarysecuring member 52 can prevent this relative movement of the accessories34. For illustration, the secondary securing member 52 may compriseVelcro® which can be used to secure the lower portion of the wrap 2 andto a complementary portion of the accessory 34. Once the accessory 34 isthreaded/attached on/to the strap 12, the Velcro® may detachably engagethe lower portion of the accessory 34 to the lower portion of the wrap2.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate various embodiments of the wrap 2 in whereinthe footwear wrap assembly 100 is reversible and has a camouflagepattern. The wrap first side can have a first camouflage pattern 42 andthe second side can have a second camouflage 44. The employment ofcamouflage patterns can be useful. For example, one of the camouflagedpatterns 42 or 44 could be suitable for use in a snow-type environmentwhile another in a sandy desert like area. Any other pattern or graphiccan be easily employed as well. Both sides may also have at least firststrap 12 and second strap 22. As illustrated, this embodiment allows theuser to reverse the attachment of the footwear wrap assembly 100 topresent the user selected pattern, 42 or 44, away from the boot 46.These illustrations further show that the strap first end 14 can bepermanently attached to an approximate mid-point of the wrap 2, and thestrap second ends 16 may be detachably coupled to the wrap first andsecond ends 4 and 6, which here for example uses complementary eyelets32 and 8.

As discussed, in all of the various embodiments, some or all of wrap 2and/or strap 12 may optionally be fabricated from an elastic material toallow for freedom of motion of a foot in the footwear 46 and flexing ina complementary fashion. Alternately, to provide additional protectionto a user, the wrap 2 may be formed from a para-armid material, an armidmaterial, or a blend of materials having similar characteristics toprovide ballistics protection. In some of the embodiments, the wrap 2may cover a smaller portion of the footwear, as shown in the embodimentdepicted in FIGS. 2 and 11, while in other embodiments, the wrap 2 maycover a much larger portion of the footwear 45 as represented in FIGS. 8and 9.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the various embodiments of FIGS. 4-7B coupled toboot 46 through interlacing. FIG. 10 shows the present invention withoutan accessory, and FIG. 9 shows the present invention with an accessory34 comprising a holster with a gun.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention withan accessory 34 that comprises a partial or full boot armor 36protective boot covering. The boot armor can provide the boot 46 (andthe user) with further protection in hostile environments by beingmanufactured and fabricated from a high strength and/or bullet resistantmaterial. The boot armor 36 can be secured to the strap 12 of thepresent invention by use of a strap encasement 38. Additionally, a bootarmor secondary securing member 52 can be used to provide additionalsecurity of the attachment of the boot armor 36 to the boot 46.Alternate ways of securing the boot armor 36 may be employed. Forexample, a complementary snap or hook and loop fasteners can be utilizedto fasten the boot armor 36 to the boot 46. Additionally, the armorcould be fabricated and attached in multiple pieces or portions.Attachment of different portions of the boot armor 36 throughinterlacing with the boot 46 may be accomplished in alternateembodiments (not shown). The high strength fabric described above wouldexhibit puncture resistant characteristics. The high strength fabric canbe made from an aramid or para-armid materials. In addition to thesematerials and fabric blends of these materials, use of polybenzoxazoles,and/or polybenzothiazoles may be employed.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations maybe substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described, withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. This application isintended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodimentsdiscussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that thisinvention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1. A footwear wrap assembly comprising: a wrap adapted to removablyattach to footwear; and at least one strap coupled to the wrap, thestrap having a first end and a second end, the strap capable ofsupporting and removably attaching at least a portion of one or moreaccessories to the wrap.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wraphas a wrap first end and a wrap second end, the wrap first and secondends having a plurality of eyelets for complementary interlacing withthe footwear.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the wrap is adaptedto cover at least a portion of an upper portion of the footwear.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of eyelets comprises notmore than five eyelets.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least aportion of the wrap is fabricated from an elastic material.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the wrap isfabricated from a high strength material, further wherein the highstrength material comprises at least in part, a material selected fromthe group consisting of aramid, para-aramid, meta-aramid,itspara-aramid, polybenzoxazoles, polybenzothiazoles, and combinationsthereof.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wrap is furtheradapted to further removably attach to a cuff of the footwear.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the wrap adapted to removably attach to acuff of the footwear comprises detachably coupling the wrap to the cuffof the footwear with at least one complementary detachable fastenerselected from the group consisting of a clip, a snap, a hook and loopfastener, a button and hole, and combinations thereof.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second ends of the atleast one strap first end is permanently secured to the wrap.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second endsof the at least one strap first end is detachably secured to the wrap.11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the strap comprises a firstportion and a second portion, each portion having the first end and thesecond end respectively, further wherein the first portion and thesecond portion comprises a third end and a fourth end, the third andfourth end are detachably coupled together.
 12. The apparatus of claim11, wherein and the first end and the second end are permanently coupledto the wrap.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first end andthe second end are detachably coupled to the wrap.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the strap is detachably coupled to the wrap using adetachable fastener selected from the group consisting of a buckle, asnap, a hook and loop fastener, a button and hole, and combinationsthereof.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the strap first endand/or the strap second end is/are detachably coupled to the wrap usingeyelets for complementary interlacing with the wrap and the footwear.16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the strap is permanently securedto the wrap at a point between the first and second ends therebycreating a first strap portion and a second strap portion where eachportion is adapted to engage a portion of the one of the one or moreaccessories such that the one or more accessories are removably attachedto the footwear, and wherein the first and second ends are detachablycoupled to the wrap.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the strap isadapted to allow the one or more accessories to be adjusted relative tothe footwear suitable for the comfort of a user wearing the footwear.18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or moreaccessories comprises a selected one of a holster, a flashlightretainer, ammunition clip retainer, handcuff retainer, a knife sheath, amagnet, and a utility pocket.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a secondary securing member coupled to the wrap and adaptedto at least partially secure the one or more accessories to the wrap ata location away from the strap.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, whereinthe secondary securing member is a hook and loop fastener adapted forengagement with a complementary hook and loop fastener portion disposedon the accessory.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising atleast one wrap attachment anchor adapted to removably attach to thefootwear, the wrap attachment anchor further comprises an anchor hoop,wherein the wrap has a wrap first end and a wrap second end and thefirst end is detachably coupled to the anchor hoop.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the wrap further comprises a first side and a secondside, the first side having a first camouflage pattern and the secondside having a second camouflage pattern, further wherein the at leastone strap comprises at least a first and a second strap, and the firststrap is coupled to the first side of the wrap and the second strap iscoupled to the second side of the strap.
 23. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein at least a selected one of the one or more accessories comprisesboot armor.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the boot armorcomprises a cover for at least a portion of the footwear, the coverbeing, at least in part, fabricated from a high strength fabric.
 25. Theapparatus of claim 24, wherein the high strength fabric comprises, atleast in part, a material selected from the group consisting of aramid,polybenzoxazoles, polybenzothiazoles, and combinations thereof.
 26. Theapparatus of claim 24, wherein the high strength fabric comprises atleast in part a material selected from the group consisting of apara-aramid and a para-aramid fabric blend.
 27. A boot wrap assemblycomprising: a wrap, having a first end and a second end, adapted toremovably attach to an upper portion of a boot, said first and secondends of the wrap having a plurality of eyelets for complementaryinterlacing with the boot; at least one strap coupled to the wrap, thestrap having a first end and a second end, wherein at least the first isadapted to detachably couple to the wrap; and wherein the strapcomprises a width and a thickness sufficient to support one or moreaccessories.
 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the strap second endis permanently secured to the wrap.
 29. The apparatus of claim 27,wherein the strap second end is adapted to detachably couple to thewrap, further wherein the wrap and the first end of the strap comprisesat least one complementary releasable coupling mechanism.
 30. Theapparatus of claim 27, wherein the releasable coupling mechanism isselected from the group consisting of a buckle, a snap, hook and loopfasteners, and a button and a buttonhole.
 31. The apparatus of claim 27,wherein the strap is secured to the wrap at a point between the firstand second ends, thereby creating a first strap portion and a secondstrap portion where each is adapted to engage a portion of the one ormore accessories such that the one or more accessories are removablyattached to the boot, and wherein the first and second ends aredetachably coupled to the wrap
 32. The apparatus of claim 27, furthercomprising a secondary securing member coupled to the wrap to at leastpartially secure the one or more attachments to the wrap at a locationaway from the strap.
 33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the one ormore accessories comprises a selected one of a holster, a flashlightretainer, ammunition clip retainer, handcuff retainer, a knife retainer,a magnet, and a utility pocket.
 34. A footwear wrap assembly comprising:a wrap adapted to removably attach to footwear; and a strap coupled tothe wrap, said strap capable of supporting the removable attachment ofone or more accessories on the wrap, wherein at least a selected one ofthe one or more accessories comprises boot armor.
 35. The apparatus ofclaim 34, wherein the boot armor further comprises a secondary bootarmor securing member to secure at least a portion of the boot armor tothe footwear.
 36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the boot armorcomprises a cover for at least a portion of the footwear, the coverbeing, at least in part, fabricated from a high strength fabric.
 37. Theapparatus of claim 36, wherein the high strength fabric comprises, atleast in part, a material selected from the group consisting of aramid,para-aramid, meta-aramid, itspara-aramid, polybenzoxazoles,polybenzothiazoles, and combinations thereof.
 38. The apparatus of claim36, wherein the high strength fabric comprises, in part, a materialselected from the group consisting of a para-aramid and a para-aramidfabric blend.